For my last blog entry in this year, I will be talking about how religion shapes our morality, as I’m trying to find an answer that is kind of not my own point of view, I interviewed 5 people from my school that represent 5 religious point of views: Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hindu and Atheism. The questions were as follow:
- What is your religion or your religious point of view?
- Does your religious point of view commit you with specific virtues?
- Do you think your virtues would change if you have a different religious point of view?
- As a person, do you believe in these virtues? Do you think you will give up on them of you changed your religious point of view?
My first interviewee was a Christian girls, her answer was ” Yes, in Christianity I’m not suppose to cause harm, to respect my elders and listen to my parents, to neither lie nor robe someone. I’m not sure if my religious point of view was different will change my virtues as Christianity is the only religion I know very well, but I don’t think it will differ very much because even when my religion require me to follow these virtues but I still believe in them as a person so even If I left Christianity I’ll still won’t lie, I’ll still respect others etc. “
My second interviewee was a Muslim boy, his answer was ” Yes, In Islam we have a lot of virtues, the whole religion is kind of based on them, not lying, not stealing, not harming anyone, respect others and take care of the environment, and I was raised on these things since I was a little kid. For me one of the biggest reasons that make me trying my best to follow strictly them is the fact that God is watching and he knows what I’m doing even when no human can see me so I try my best to avoid doing wrong things especially when we believe that there’s a day of judgement in the end and everyone will be punished for what they did wrong in life. I will still follow these virtues even If I left Islam as it’s kind of international virtues and I personally strongly believe in them, but will I be as afraid of not doing them even what I think is small as before, I don’t know, human souls can trick you sometimes.”
The rest of my interviewees point of view didn’t differ that much change, as they all think that their religious point of you shaped them somehow, and most of the religions ask for quiet the same virtues, as there is no religion will ask for lying, harming or disrespecting anyone, and any good human will believe the same wherever they are religious or not, but the question will stay, what will always remind them to keep following it as all humans can do mistakes and it’s impossible to be perfect without mistakes? Maybe that’s what religions are trying to help with.
To conclude, religion can shapes our molars as each religion has their own morals and ways to grow it in their followers, some religions has punishments for those who break them during their life, some use the way of that “God sees you and will punish you in the day of judgement”, some use the way of “Treat others as you love to be treated” , but everything still can be relative, you can be an atheist who doesn’t believe in God and the day of judgement, but you will still be a good human and vice versa. We don’t know anything for sure, it all depends on what there is in your heart and how much you have self control, to not believe in something, but to actually follow it.
Dreams 